Rays right-hander Yonny Chirinos will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, manager Kevin Cash told reporters Friday. Chirinos is also likely to miss all of the 2021 season as he recovers from the surgery.

The procedure will take place Monday in St. Petersburg and will be performed by Dr. Koco Eaton.

¡°[It¡¯s] very unfortunate for us, for Yonny,¡± said Cash. ¡°You just really feel for the guy. But he's got the best trainers as far as we're concerned, rehab, to get him back and get him right. He's going to miss some time. It¡¯s pretty standard what the Tommy John procedure entails.¡±

Chirinos was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Monday after feeling discomfort after a bullpen session. It¡¯s been a lost season for the valuable righty; Chirinos missed the majority of Summer Camp after testing positive for COVID-19 and was only able to throw to live hitters once during camp.

He also battled right shoulder inflammation two weeks ago, which landed him on the IL. Chirinos returned to the mound on Sunday against the Blue Jays, but now he is not likely to take the ball again until 2022 at the earliest.

¡°He's going to live here locally [in Tampa], and I think that will help,¡± Cash said. ¡°We'll get him as ready as quick as possible but he's going miss the rest of this year and the foreseeable next year.¡±

Cash said the team will call up left-hander Josh Fleming to take Chirinos¡¯ place in the rotation. The 24-year-old Fleming, who has been training at the club¡¯s alternate site, combined for a 12-7 record and 3.57 ERA with Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham in 2019. Ranked as the Rays¡¯ 29th best prospect MLB Pipeline, Fleming will start Sunday vs. the Blue Jays. The Rays have not named a starter for Saturday.

¡°He's thrown the ball really well down there, and we're encouraged that he can provide length,¡± Cash said of Fleming. ¡°I think he's got up to five, almost six innings of work and he showed us enough in Spring Training that he's a guy that we like.¡±

The Rays have reeled off five wins in a row and have won 11 of their past 12, but they¡¯re also not immune to the injury bug. They¡¯ve already lost Brendan McKay for the season, as the left-hander will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. All-Star starter Charlie Morton, who is also on the 10-day injured list with an inflamed right shoulder, will not start this weekend against the Blue Jays, Cash announced. Blake Snell was set to start Monday¡¯s finale with the Blue Jays.

Cash said Morton ¡°seems to be in good spirits¡± and is eager to stay on his throwing program, while still working to get the soreness out of his shoulder.

¡°We want to make sure we're doing right by him and by the club,¡± Cash said. ¡°Bringing Charlie back for a two-inning workload, given this stretch, would be really challenging, so we're going to put our heads together over the next two days and see what the best course of action and how we're able to fit him in.¡±